As you shift into re-entry from experiencing the last year indoors, it’s likely that you may be experiencing slight anxiety.
As many may be dreading the re-entry, others may be rejoicing in glee for the opportunities to reconnect face-to-face. Either way, it’s important to note how you feel in each moment and prioritize what works best for you. One way to ease your anxiety is to weave into your wellness practices the adopting of “plant life” and gardening. Integrating the sacred practice of gardening and plants into your lifestyle can not only improve your mood but it builds your strength, fights disease, reduces stress, fosters human connection, heals, and more!
Imagine for a second how plants live and move (or not move). Plants remind us of our own innate nature and that all it takes for the slice of peace you are seeking is simply to: sit still, soak up the sun, and grow. In these moments of observing nature’s movements, we can recognize what we need more of to achieve the inner peace we crave. By slowing down and living like and with plants, we can become “one with the Earth.” According to Healthline, our bodies, like plants, are “capable of photosynthesis — the process where plants make their own food using sunlight. Your skin uses sunlight to make one of the nutrients you need: Vitamin D. Researchers at Trusted Source estimate that a half hour in the sun can produce between 8,000 and 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D in your body, depending on how much your clothes cover and the color of your skin.”
How Plant Life & Gardening Helped Heal Eunice Fonseca
Eunice Fonseca, the founder of Planteria Latina, a local plant stylist, and landscaping designer can agree. Eunice is a first-generation Mexican American, who’s originally from Guadalajara and Jalisco with Costa Rican roots. Her story of coping with mental health and anxiety during the pandemic is one many can relate to. In 2020, like many others, Eunice was struggling in her personal life, leading to the culmination of her previous role. Her depression and mental health struggles had taken a turn and it was in these tender times that a friend gifted her a plant, inspiring her to create concrete planters and launched her obsession and fascination with nature, plants, and plant life. She details, “there are so many astonishing benefits of gardening and taking care of indoor plants. They can help boost our moods, assist with slowing memory loss, reduce stress, and they can also be used for those who are in recovery from addiction. Plants can heal us, empower us and most importantly, they help fight against eco-anxiety, anxiety and depression.”
“After I potted my snake plant, I noticed that a plant can make a drastic difference in my home. I was able to relate to a snake plant. I saw that she was thick, strong and even though she can withstand months without watering, she still needed to be watered and cared for often. It was then when I submerged myself in research, read books, and articles about the benefits of plants. I was shocked to learn how beneficial, amazing, and impactful plants can be,” she adds.
Shortly after, she began purchasing more plants to replace the habits that came with dealing with mental health and anxiety, like nail-biting and the picking of skin on the face and body. Eunice discovered all she had to do was place her fingers within the soil to check if “they needed watering or to cut off dead leaves, mist them, or give my plants a makeover,” she says. Each time, her tension eased and calm was reclaimed providing Eunice the love, therapeutic care, and serenity she needed in her life. It was not long that her fascination with gardening and plants planted a seed (pun intended) into the emergence of her business Planteria Latina! In March 2020, before COVID restrictions began, Eunice had sold over 3,000 plants during Mother’s Day weekend.
Planteria Latina and Plants for Beginners
For new plant parents and beginners, Eunice recommends adopting the plant way, simply not to stress and be patient! She says, “In the process of developing my business and caring for thousands of plants, I’ve learned that there are similarities in taking care of my kids and taking care of my plants. When I gave them a high maintenance, they became more picky and selective. Like kids, plants need lots of love, tears, and a simple life to thrive!”
Additionally, knowing the difference between caring for indoor plants and outdoor plants is crucial to plantcare. “Plants that are grown inside are generally species that thrive in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees fahrenheit. Tropical plants enjoy warm temperatures and humidity, but they do not require direct sunlight. Outdoor plants can tolerate a wider temperature range and to be honest are less fun to me”, she adds.
Eunice and Planteria Latina’s mission is to educate people about the impact of plants, including the benefits a plant can provide to a home and ways plants can improve mental health. Although she loves rare plants, her biggest source of satisfaction comes from being able to witness the various ways a plant can work its wonders in people’s lives. Her favorite plants to work and style for her customers include Zz Plants, Monsteras, & Rubber Trees. “Not only do they have endless benefits, but they will thrive in your home!”, she says.
Currently, now that the COVID restrictions have been lifted, the business has been having multiple pop-ups in Long Beach with local businesses including nearby Vibes Cafe, Rose Park Roasters, The Merchant, Coffee Drunk and Sweet Threads, building meaningful relationships with the plant lovers and the community. Planteria Latina will be opening its first plant truck to the public in late August 2021.
To learn more about plants and gardening, stay connected with all things Planteria Latina and Eunice Fonseca by following her social media Instagram page at @planterialatina, visiting her website, or opting into her email list.
